West Bengal Elections: Suvendu Adhikari Begins Malda Campaign, Claims Trinamool Won't Contest Polls After February 14
The Bengal LoP accused the Trinamool government of failed promises, law-and-order lapses and corruption, while pitching BJP’s agenda during his Malda poll campaign on Friday.
Published : January 3, 2026 at 12:32 PM IST
Malda: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, launched his poll campaign in Malda on Friday with a sharp attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). He claimed that the ruling party will be forced out of electoral politics after February 14 due to the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.
Addressing a public rally at Kalambagan in Chanchal in Malda district, Adhikari alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists had already resulted in the deletion of 58 lakh names in its first phase and that more “illegal and fake” names would be removed in the coming days.
‘False Promises, Failed Governance’
Recalling his years in the TMC, Adhikari said he had addressed rallies in the same region while in the ruling party, and publicly announced development promises that were never fulfilled. “I came to rallies by helicopter and said whatever the Chief Minister wrote for me. She asked me to announce that Chanchal and Gajol would become municipalities. I did so. Even after 15 years, those municipalities have not been formed. This bankrupt government will not be able to do it either,” he said.
Adhikari said a BJP government would purchase agricultural produce, including paddy and makhana, at prices higher than the current minimum support price. Targeting Trinamool’s Malda district president and Malatipur MLA Abdur Rahim Bakshi, he claimed Bakshi would not be allowed to win the next election. “Even if the BJP does not win the seat, he will lose. I have already prepared my blueprint,” Adhikari said, without elaborating.
The rally was held after Adhikari got permission from the Calcutta High Court. This was after the police and district administration had denied clearance for the rally. Referring to this at the start of his address, he said that despite being the LoP, he had to approach the High Court as many as 104 times to organise political programmes. “After April, Trinamool will sit in the Opposition benches. Then the reckoning will come,” he added.
Drawing comparisons with neighbouring states, Adhikari claimed the BJP had already eliminated the Opposition in Bihar and asserted that the ruling party would meet a similar fate in Bengal.
He said BJP governments had already been established in Kalinga and Anga, and that the party would also form a government in Banga (Bengal). He added that Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee's dream would be realised in the state.
Hindutva Pitch, Law-and-Order Allegations
The Nandigram MLA’s speech was overtly election-focused, with repeated references to identity politics and Hindutva. Speaking in a minority-dominated area, he alleged that the state government obstructs not only political activities but also religious programmes. He also accused the government of being ideologically influenced by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Adhikari alleged that those involved in the incidents of violence in Mothabari, Dhulian and Samsherganj are not nationalists. He also claimed that following unrest in Mothabari, police prevented BJP leaders, including then state BJP president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, from entering affected areas.
Citing specific cases of violence, Adhikari alleged that the incidents occurred due to provocation over the Waqf Amendment Act by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Siddiqullah Chowdhury and Firhad Hakim. He said the law has since been implemented.
Adhikari said that West Bengal is the homeland of Bengali Hindus, and that Swami Vivekananda taught us to have faith in our own religion and to respect other religions.
Adhikari said he, too, was denied access to Dhulian and Samsherganj and could visit those areas only after securing permission from the High Court.
Poll Track Record, Corruption Charges And BJP Promises
Turning to electoral history, the Nandigram MLA claimed that Trinamool has failed to establish a strong presence in Malda since its formation in 1998, despite being in power in the state since 2011. Recalling his tenure as Malda in-charge while in Trinamool, he said public sentiment in the district was consistently against the ruling party.
Citing election data, Adhikari said that in the 2011 Assembly elections, Trinamool won only one seat in the district. He claimed the party secured just 14 per cent of the vote across Malda’s two Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and failed to win any seats in the district in the 2016 Assembly elections or the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He added that Trinamool did not lead in any of the district’s 12 Assembly segments in 2024.
Targeting the ruling party over Central welfare schemes, Adhikari alleged corruption in the implementation of many Central schemes in the state, including housing projects, the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
He alleged funds were siphoned off through fake beneficiaries, and said a BJP government would expand MGNREGA to 200 days, roll out the Pradhan Mantri Suryaghar Yojana housing scheme, ensure piped water, set up an AIIMS in North Bengal, and form Chanchal Municipality. He promised annual SSC examinations and local employment for migrant workers from Malda.
Adhikari also made a controversial remark on voting patterns at polling booths, suggesting counter-mobilisation by BJP supporters, and claimed that such mobilisation could help the BJP win as many as 220 Assembly seats in 2026. He reiterated that further deletions from the voter list would weaken the TMC ahead of the elections.
He concluded by criticising TMC for fielding “outsider” candidates in North Malda, and described the political situation in West Bengal as “bizarre”.
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